Tobacco ash receiver



Feb. 11, 1969 c. VITALE TOBACCO ASH RECEIVER Filed March 28, 1967INVENTOR. CHARLES VITALE ZZZ Mi ATTORNEY United States Patent 2 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Ash tray having coil cigarette clamps spacedinward from the rim to insure that any butt falling therefrom will landwithin the rim, with a quench receptacle having a lid with a wick and adropper tube passing therethrough.

Background This invention relates to tobacco ash receivers, and moreparticularly to ash trays for holding cigarette butts, receiving the ashtherefrom, and for quenching embers being discarded to prevent firehazards and obnoxious odors.

Heretofore ash trays have been provided with grooves or sockets in theirrims to receive smoldering butts. As these burn away, they becomeunbalanced, and may fall away from the tray and outside of its rim as afire hazard. Furthermore when a glowing butt is attempted to be snubbedor snuffed, a smoldering portion may be missed, and tenaciously continueto give off an obnoxious odor, even from the bottom of the tray.

The objects of the present invention are to avoid these difficulties, toprevent discarded butts from escaping the tray, and to facilitatequenching of smoldering butts.

Summary According to the present invention, the ash tray has clampsspaced inward from the rim thereof to insure butts falling from theclamps will land within the rim, and a receptacle for quenching liquidsecured to the tray and provided with means for applying said liquid toa smoldering butt. Preferably the receptacle has a lid with a nozzle fora wick depending therefrom into the liquid. Alternately or additionally,the lid has a socket for a dropper comprising a tube depending into saidliquid.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an ash tray according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross section taken along the line 22 of FIGURE1.

In the form shown the ash receiver comprises a tray of fireproofmaterial such as metal or ceramic, having an upstanding rim 12 to retaindiscarded ashes or butts therein. The tray 10 is provided with a supportfor a smoldering cigarette butt, comprising a strut 14 extending abovethe bottom of the tray and terminating in a clamp 16 spaced inward fromthe rim 12 for a sufficient part of the length of said butt to insurethat the butt falling from the clamp 16 will land within the rim 12. Theclamp 16 is preferably at least two convolutions of a coil of metalwire, and the strut 14 preferably has an end of the wire embedded in theceramic of the tray 10, or welded or otherwise secured to the metalthereof.

A receptacle 18 for quenching liquid is secured to the tray 10, andpreferably comprises a tube or bottle inserted or embedded in a socket20 in the tray. The receptacle 10 18 is provided with a lid 22,preferably formed with a nozzle 24, for a wick 26 depending therefrominto the liquid in the bottom of the receptacle.

The lid 22 also has a socket 28 for a dropper 30 having a tube 32passing through the lid down into the liquid in the bottom of thereceptacle.

In operation, as shown in FIGURE 2, a smoldering cigarette butt isclamped intermediate its ends in the clamp 16. As the lighted end burnsaway, the butt shortens and becomes unbalanced, and the longer end tendsto fall. 20 The spacing of the clamp 16 a sutficient distance from therim 12 insures that such falling butt will land within the rim 12.

If it is desired to extinguish a glowing butt, the same may be removedfrom the clamp 16 or from the mouth of the smoker, and the smolderingend applied to the exposed end of the wick 26. The moisture tends tospread and completely quench the butt.

If a glowing butt has been dropped onto the bottom of the tray, thedropper may be removed from the socket 30 28 and a drop of liquidapplied by the tube 32 to the smoldering end, and similarly quench thesame.

What is claimed is:

1. Tobacco ash receiver comprising a tray of fire proof material havinga bottom and an upstanding rim there- 3 around, a receptacle forquenching liquid secured to said tray, a lid for said receptacle, and adropper having a tube passing through said lid and depending into saidliquid, said dropper being removable for use to extinguish the lit endof a cigarette.

2. Tobacco ash receiver as claimed in claim 2, in which said lid has anozzle, and said nozzle has a wick therein depending therefrom into saidliquid, and said lid and nozzle are removable to facilitate fillingquenching liquid into said receptacle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,968,118 7/1934 Ausbrooks131-236 2,059,137 10/1936 Mountjoy 131-236 2,210,291 8/1940 Herr 131 2402,213,046 8/1940 Mather 131 240 2,250,178 7/1941 Brush 131 240 2,508,5755/1950 Klekot 131--236 JOSEPH s. REICH, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 131 240

